A brief look, but with the emphasis on science, at the life and times of Richard Price a prominent eighteenth century dissenter, political and social reformer, founder of life assurance through his work on publishing Bayes’s Theorem on probability, and a supporter of the American revolution and the opening events of that in France. If time permits the talk will also look briefly at the scientific and political lives of his Bridgend nephews William Morgan (winner of the Royal Society Copley Medal, producer of plasmas) and George Cadogan Morgan (writer on electricity and radical republican at a dangerous time).

Dr Tracey Rihll of the History and Classics Department of Swansea University, in collaboration with the Classical Association.

It is not commonly known that machines powered by human or animal muscle, by water, by air, by steam, and by falling weights were employed in Greek and Roman agriculture, quarries and mines, manufacturing establishments, service businesses and homes, either to make tasks easier to perform or allow them to be performed at all. Knowledge about such machines was formed and disseminated in writing. Known books on machinery were written by a dozen individuals, including Arkhimedes.

(This replaces the scheduled lecture by Professor John France, which will be delivered at a later date. www.haswansea.org.uk.)